Evolving RPGhttp://www.evolvingrpg.com
Role-playing games have come a long way!Fri, 16 Feb 2018 16:05:32 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4Interview with Sunday – DM Series 2 pt 3http://www.evolvingrpg.com/interview-with-sunday-dm-series-2-pt-3/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/interview-with-sunday-dm-series-2-pt-3/#respondFri, 16 Feb 2018 16:05:32 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1837We’re all used to gaming being put on hold while the DM checks a rule. It’s an altogether different thing when gaming has to pause for a diaper change.

This time around I interview Sunday, also known online as Guldukat, about his experiences as a life long tabletop gamer. We touch on several of the topics you’ve come to expect from our DM interview series but also delve into the balance of gaming and parenting.

]]>http://www.evolvingrpg.com/interview-with-sunday-dm-series-2-pt-3/feed/0Book Review: Empire of Imaginationhttp://www.evolvingrpg.com/book-review-empire-of-imagination/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/book-review-empire-of-imagination/#commentsThu, 15 Feb 2018 16:05:49 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1410The Drider made short work of the adventuring party…The noble half-elf Paladin, Aelar, bravely faced the cursed drow but fell. Moving quickly the half Drow half spider targeted the Dragonborn fighter, Jesliann. Fight as hard as she may she too fell to the Drider’s blade.

Rabbit, the Gnome Monk, charged the beast hoping to stop it but he succumbed to the flurry of strikes from the Drider’s longsword. Cursing the foul beast, Gremar, the Dwarven cleric, unleashed divine magic but was trampled under eight spider legs.

Only two remained standing. Krakxel the human assassin and Belrog the tiefling sorcerer. The party had managed to inflict serious damage to the Drider. Black icor oozed from several deep wounds. Not to mention the several large spiders whose corpses now littered the dungeon hallway.

Knowing the spell caster needed room Krakxel charged. He hoped to buy Belrog time to finish off the spider cursed fiend. Fight as he might a well placed strike by the Drow dropped the assassin.

Seeing only the lone spellcaster was left the Drider glared. It would feed well tonight. The skittering of its eight legs echoed in the hall.

Belrog had one chance. With a force of will, a gesture and arcane phrase a bolt of magic energy shot out towards the monster…

That was the scene in a recent Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition game I am running. The tension and suspense around the table was pallitable. Each player desperately tried to stop the rampaging Drider while fending off several other monsters. It’s one of “those” gaming stories you never forget.

Which brings me to a book I recently read titled Empire of Imagination by Michael Witwer. It may be hard to believe but there was a time, not that long ago, when there was no Dungeons & Dragons. In fact there were no role playing games (RPGs). Tabletop war games focused on reliving historical battles, not storytelling.

Fast forward fifty years and Gen Con 50 was recently held in Indianapolis in August 2017. I had the pleasure to attend along with 207,000 other game enthusiasts! We owe this all to the hard work of many people but one name in particular stands out among them: Gary Gygax.

For those of you who don’t know Gary Gygax was the creator of the original Dungeons & Dragons game. In Empire of Imagination Michael Witwer retells Gary’s life story and how it lead to the most popular RPG of all time.

Before getting into the details this book dealt with a lot of the issues start up businesses have to overcome. It’s not a history of role playing, at least not directly. It’s the story of Gary Gygax and the founding of TSR and how the game was created. I found it to be a surprisingly emotional story. For what is, at it’s heart, an entertainment company the road to bring D&D about was not all fun and games. There were serious and bitter disputes. A lot of pain and suffering went into getting D&D published.

Gary Gygax grew up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. His childhood influenced his future in special ways. He grew up listening to his father tell fantastical stories sparking a desire for adventure. Gary played games like chess with his grandfather and developed a mind for strategy. There were even a few unexplained, supernatural experiences along the way.

In a time before the Internet, social media, and video games he consumed pulp fiction novels and comic books. Reading these stories of space heroes and barbarians further set the ground work for an idea that would change gaming.

Gary’s first gaming experience didn’t deal with fantasy or science-fiction. Early on he moved from chess to tabletop wargames spending countless hours reinacting historical battles. He became so immersed in accurately recreating these settings that he built a sand filled table to play on. That table would follow Gary over the years and eventually became one of his prized possessions.

Michael Witwer blends the past with the “present” in the book. The early events of Gary’s life are woven in with challenges of starting TSR. Without benefits of email or social media conventions and magazines are the only way to spread word of new games or ideas.

Chainmail, the tabletop simulation of fantasy battles, becomes a cornerstone of a new annual gaming convention, Gen Con. Previously wargames dealt solely with historical battles. The concept of recreating the mystical battles in books like the Lord of the Rings or Conan the Barbarian was never considered. Chainmail introduced players to the world of elves, orcs, and dwarves. It was still a war game but it opened a door into another world.

The turning point came with the concept of replacing units of troops with individual heroes. You no longer controlled dozens or hundreds of units. You played a single hero but the rules remained the same. To add flavor to their units players began to imagine what these heroes would look and sound like. The early attempts at roleplaying were created.

Gary had an idea for a new kind of game. He got down to drafting the rules for this new way to play tabletop games. Players would take on the persona of a fantasy character and decide what actions to make. Traditionally you chose between moving or attacking each turn. This new game system provided complete freedom to players to chose what they wanted to do.

Developing a completely new technique of play from scratch required many hours of playtesting. Playtesting of course required players. Seeing its potential Gary had concerns about the new game being copied and did most of the playtesting with close friends and his children. This introduction to roleplaying gave the new game its name. Gary’s daughter was the one who, upon hearing it in a list of potential names, said Dungeons & Dragons should be the title of the new game.

Gary Gygax had a great idea but there was still a big problem. He knew Dungeons & Dragons could be a huge success but he lacked the funds to produce and distribute the game. With little choice he brought on a business partner. That decision would impact not only Gary’s life but also the life of Dungeons & Dragons.

A typical D&D game is a fictional adventure through exotic landscapes and eery dungeons. The real life successes and failures of Gary and TSR read as almost too extravagant to be true. It’s a journey that stretches from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to wild parties in Hollywood, California. There would be challenges from religious controversy to boardroom power plays. Several times the fate of the game would come down to figurative rolls of the dice.

If you have an interest in business and the struggles of a start up you will enjoy Empire of Imagination. This a book about a business but it isn’t a business book. If you just want to know more about the man who changed the world of tabletop gaming forever this book is for you too.

Reading how D&D came to be the global phenomena it is today was as exciting as any action in the Forgotten Realms. It’s hard to believe there as a time when there was doubt about the game’s potential. Several companies originally turned down publishing it. Today we’re seeing Dungeons and Dragons move into mainstream media. Where once the exploits of one’s favorite character was isolated to small groups you can watch entire game sessions online in realtime now.

Gary Gygax was a creator. He had an idea in his heart that needed to get out. It was no easy task and he faced may personal and public setbacks. But if he hadn’t endured we wouldn’t be playing the game he gave us today.

I recommend Empire of Imagination to any fan of tabletop roleplaying games. The story is an adventure in its own right and one I think you will enjoy. Michael Witwer even weaves a fantasy story into the narrative which I thought was a nice touch.

Michael Witwer researched the events and while some things may be debatable, depending on which side you ask, it is a story as thrilling as the game it created. An index of all of the source material is provided so you can verify the accuracy of the book.

I look forward to your feedback and your thoughts on Empire of Imagination in the comments below.

Oh, let us not forget our intrepid adventurers. That encounter came down to a die roll, literally. Belrog was down to 2 hit points. As fate would have it Belrog had initiative. With the whole gaming group focused on Belrog I broke character and leveled with him. I told him how it stood. The Drider had a single hit point but multiple long sword attacks. If Belrog missed his next attack I was confident my Drider would be victorious.

I let that hang in the air for a moment and then told him to roll his attack. He tossed the twenty sided die on the table. Fate again favored our sorcerer that night. He hit.

The badly wounded Belrog stood victorious over the dreaded Drider. Cheers erupted around he table and an unforgettable gaming memory was created.

Without Gary’s work and dedication, that memory, and many others, wouldn’t have happened. For this I will be eternally grateful to him.

Game on everyone,

Oliver Greytome

]]>http://www.evolvingrpg.com/book-review-empire-of-imagination/feed/2Divine Sethttp://www.evolvingrpg.com/1753-2/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/1753-2/#commentsWed, 14 Feb 2018 17:00:30 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1753Would you be my Valentine? Great I have a gift for you, a nice riddle!

Nine divine set out to race.

Unequal strides, unequal pave.

Laps uneven did they run,

What takes him hundreds takes her one.

And in the end who won the bet?

Alas who knows they’re racing yet.

If you know the answer, post it in the comment section below. When the correct answer is posted I will confirm. Good Luck!

It meant the Shades, people possessed by a form of alien entity, had made it past the outer defenses. It was expected they would; but the swarm of possessed individuals had breached the building sooner than planned.

Priest’s shoulder ached from the force of the impact. Regardless, he kept on pushing against the heavy door to Solar Flare’s lab.
“Flare!” Priest yelled. There was no point in hiding their location now. “We have company and I’m out of dip!”

“I need a few more minutes!” Solar Flare shouted back.

Another heavy blow hit the door. It rattles and the hinges strained from the impact.

“We don’t have a few minutes.” Priest thought to himself. “God help us.”

Priest thought back to how they arrived in their present predicament. They couldn’t be sure but it likely had to do with time portal opened by the telekinetic villain Tek-Lo. The man had been obsessed with the superhero Titan and wanted Titan’s nephew dead. Priest and Solar Flare had stopped Tek-Lo once before. Tek-Lo attacked the hospital where Titan’s young nephew was getting a heart transplant. He was just a 5 year old boy. Fortunately Priest and Solar Flare were around. Titan has been lured away by an apparent alien attack but it was just a distraction. Tek-Lo planned to attack the boy when Titan was around but had not considered the interference of two other superheroes. Titan filled them in on the details afterwards. His nephew has great potential and Priest and Solar Flare kept a a watch on the boy when Titan was away.

The military told them the portal had been closed and only residual radiation remained so the location had to be quarantined. Solar Flare had been skeptical but it did appear the time portal had been closed when he investigated. Apparently something else was there and had come into their world.

It started without warning.

One night a dark dome formed over the building. The military lost contact with its personnel inside. Local police and rescue personnel bravely went in but didn’t reemerge and communication was lost once they crossed into the darkness. Slowly the dome expanded out and up. The expansion stopped at dawn.

By that time the military had arrived in force. Drones were sent in but once they crossed over they went silent.

The decision was made for a full on assault but Priest and Solar Flare arrived. They convinced the commander to wait and move their perimeter back with the expansion of the dome.

Solar Flare brought some equipment and set up while Priest observed the dome. The inky blackness swirled around. Something was wrong with this darkness. It wasn’t natural. I felt empty, devoid of life. As Priest watched the surface become more agitated. The swirling started to become large vortexes.

Priest turned to warn Solar Flare. “Flare! Something is happening!”

Solar Flare looked up and shouted a warning. “Priest! Get back!”

A stream of darkness shot out from the dome headed straight at Priest. Priest instinctively went for his sword, the Hand of God, as the dark mass hurdled towards him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to block the blast and braced for the hit.

Just as the blast was about to hit a bright beam of light intercepted it. The two forces struggled against each other. Dark and Light pushing back and forth.

Solar Flare saw the darkness blast and was able to block it with his own light blast. The darkness physically pushed against his light beam. He poured more power into the light ray but the darkness countered and increased its intensity.

Priest stepped back from the opposing forces. The soldiers around began firing at the dome. Ripples formed in the dome where billets struck. A sinking feeling came over Priest. Looking West he watched as the sun dropped below the horizon.

An unnatural dusk fell over the entire city. Black bolts shot out from the dome in all directions striking the many troops, emergency personnel, and media present.

Once struck men and women fell down to the ground writhing in pain. And then they all went still.

Priest dodged several blasts but finally one connected. A bone chilling cold fell over him and he staggered weakly. It was as if the darkness was drawing the very light out of him.

Solar Flare saw the barrage of blasts and changed tactics. He was starting to feel the strain of keeping up such a powerful blast.

He dropped the blast and threw up his energy force field. The darkness struck and Solar Flare could feel the energy draining cold but the darkness couldn’t grab hold. Solar Flare shot into the air shaking off the darkness. More bolts shot out at him but he barrel rolled away. He has to circle back for Priest.

“Hang on Priest! I’m coming!” Solar Flare shouted and noticed things were eerily quiet. The dark blasts made no noise.

Back on the ground another blast struck Priest and knocked him over. A black ink snaked over his skin. The cold burned his skin.

Priest grimaced through the pain and shouted “The Divine Light can conquer any darkness!”

He drew Hand of God and touched the blunt side of the blade to his arm. He didn’t know why but he just knew it would work. A warm fire erupted and the inky darkness burned away. The holy fire spread over his body. As it did he felt his strength return.

“Back away darkness. Sacred steel and divine power does not fear you!”

The darkness retracted from Priest. The dome actually withdrew back from him resulting in it taking on a curved shape.

Solar Flare landed next to him. “Wow, when did you learn to do that?”

“Just now…” Priest looked at his sword. He did not expect that to happen.

“Oh no, we have a problem.”

Priest turned following Solar Flare’s gaze. All of the people struck by the darkness were standing and staring at them. They all stared with jet black eyes. The veins of their faces were traced by black lines.

In unison every armed individual raised their weapons and aimed at Priest and Solar Flare.

“That’s not good.” The pair said at the same time.

Gun fire erupted but Solar Flare had already begun to form a energy field. Bullets struck the shield and sparks erupted.

“Flare,” Priest said. “We have to get out of here.”

Any f the possessed people who didn’t have a weapon picked up anything they could and moved towards Priest and Solar Flare.

Solar Flare looked around the crowd. “Any chance your new found darkness burning power would work on these people?”

Priest knew if these people were possessed they couldn’t help themselves. “Maybe but not before they either shoot us, club us to death, or the darkness dome vomits life sucking goo at us. We gotta run.”

“Agreed, we need to get to my lab, I’ll try and figure out what it is we are dealing with here.” Solar Flare said. “We’ll also need to evacuate the city. Hang on.”

Priest grabbed Solar Flare’s arm and the two rocketed up into the night.

The dome continued to steadily grow. It consumed nearby the buildings, vehicles, and possessed people.

Back in the present, the lab door groaned under another blow. The hinges bulked from the strain. Priest looked back at the small door to the inner lab and observatory.

Inside Solar Flare raced to align the jury-rigged broadcasting dish he had mounted to his observatory’s large telescope. There would be no second chances, no time to read-calibrate. He had to get this right the first time or all was lost. They needed help, desperately. Solar Flare needed to contact someone who had encountered and hopefully defeated the Shades. He surmised they came from different dimension which meant there might be others who could help.

Solar Flare smiled. “If I survive this I might win a Nobel Prize.”

The calibrations were more complex than anything he had attempted before. The plan was direct a high power communications pulse in the direction of the portal location. With the right frequency Solar Flare should be able to a message through. Realtime communications wouldn’t be possible but he could broadcast a message.

The power needed was incredible and it would fry every circuit in the system but if this didn’t work it wouldn’t matter anyway.

“I’m almost ready to broadcast!” Solar Flare yelled to Priest. The pounding on the lab door was deafening.

“Sorry, not this time. That door is coming down. We’ll be swarmed. This door,” Priest pointed the light inner door, “won’t stop them. They steamroll in here. I’ll cause a distraction and hold them as long as I can. Get the message out.”

There was another thunderous impact on the main door. One of the top hinges broke free of the stone wall.

“Time’s up.” Priest said grimly.

Solar Flare looked at his equipment. Priest was right and they were wasting precious seconds debating it. Solar Flare turned to Priest.

“Go with God my friend.”

“You too Flare, God speed and good luck.” Priest closed the door.

Solar Flare could hear heavy furniture being dragged across the floor and got back to his own work. As the main drive motor initiated Solar Flare recorded his message.

“My name is Solar Flare. Our world is under attack by a trans-dimensional species of alien. This species thrives on darkness. It can possess sentient beings and is resistant to chemical and physical deterrents. We know of no way to stop them short of killing their host. I am reaching out in hopes of making contact with anyone that can help us or at least has experience with this alien species. This message, coordinate to and frequencies I will monitor are encoded in a mathematical matrix in the event you are unable to comprehend my vocal patterns.”

Solar Flare finished the recording and began keying in the matrix code to allow an intelligent species to mathematically decipher his message.

Solar Flare was reviewing the calculations when a loud bang rang out followed by creaking metal and a crash that shook the floor. The main door had finally given out and had, from the sound of it, collapsed.

Solar Flare could hear Priest yell defiantly. Snarls and feral screams followed. It sounded like Priest was putting up quite the fight.

Solar Flare retuned to his work. The main drive motor had initiated. He consulted his note
Sand started entering the directional coordinates for the device.

The large telescope started to move. A satellite dish was mounted on the end of the telescope. It was a painfully slow process but finally the device settled on the proper coordinates. If he had been accurate the dish was now aimed at the exact point of the dimensional portal across town.

The other room went quiet…

The fighting stopped. For a few moments there was silence, then shuffling followed by pounding and crashing. The shades were breaking down the barricade Priest piled in front of the lab door.

“System initialization is complete.” The lab computer announced.

Solar Flare stared keying in the frequency to transmit his. Solar Flare paused to consider what it was he was transmitting.

“It’s not a message.” He thought to himself. “This is a distress call.”

The computer indicated it was ready to begin. The broadcast would take a couple of minutes. Solar Flare keyed in the authorization code and the lab’s lights flickered. The lab’s emergency generator was being pushed past its limit. The city’s power grid had been down for days. Any source of light was targeted by the Shades. Solar Flare started to think of families trapped in their homes, under siege by Shades.

A loud bang drew Solar Flare’s attention to the lab door. He saw a crack form in the door.

The message was being broadcast and would continue to repeat as long as possible.

Solar Flare thought of Priest. His friend valiantly stood against this darkness. He may be dead or worse. What if Priest had been possessed by one of these things?

There wasn’t going to be time to worry about it.

With a splintering of wood and creaking metal the Shades broke into the lab.

Black veins leeched from inky black eyes. The faces were all contorted in rage. Shades didn’t speak. The only sounds the possessed people made were shrieks and hisses.

Shades were able to move quickly and didn’t appear to suffer from fatigue. Pain didn’t slow them. Many of the Shades Solar Flare saw had serious injuries. Several had broken bones and hobbled along but injuries seemed to be nothing more than a nuisance for these creatures.

Shades weren’t unintelligent. They had a raptorial intelligence. A seemingly endless stream of the creatures entered the room. Cautiously they approached Solar Flare.

He scanned the mob and not seeing Priest called out. “Priest! Are you there!?!”

There was no answer. Solar Flare clenched his fists and they began to glow a bright white.

The Shades changed in unison letting loose a deafening howl.

Solar Flare replied with his own defiant battery and let loose a wave of energy. He spun around and crouched. A wave of “hard light” shot out from his hands. The wave struck the front line of Shades and bowled them over.

More Shades came forward. They spread out to flank him.

With a thought a shimmering light formed around Solar Flare. A field of solid light would block physical attacks but it had its limits.

To slow the charge Solar Flare field light pulses into the lead Shades on his left and right. The blasts knocked them over and tripped up the Shades pushing forward.

Even though they were possessed these were still people. Priest and Solar Flare needed to find a way to save them. Solar Flare didn’t even know if they could kill them. Pain, after all, had no apparent effect on the creatures. Either way Solar Flare wouldn’t kill any them.

Several more light pulses knocked down Shades but their numbers kept growing. More and more of them poured into the lab.

Finally the fist Shades got close enough to grab Solar Flare. His protective field foiled their attempts to grapple him but he was running out of time.

Shades started to climb over each other. They would bury Solar Flare in a pile of bodies and the it would only be a matter of time.

Solar Flare drew in his arms, closed his eyes and focused his energy on strengthening his force field. He had one more trick up his sleeve.

Building up the energy field Solar Flare poured more willpower into it. The field became brighter and brighter. Then he released the pent up power.

A thunderous blast of energy shot out. Shades were thrown away in every directions.

As the noise echoed away Solar Flare stood in the middle of the lab. The shades had been. Thrown against the walls and were already struggling to stand up.

The blast had damaged the transmitter too. A quick check of the equipment confirmed the message had gotten out and was even repeated several times.

His mission completed Solar Flare called out to Priest. “Priest! Can you hear me?”

There was no reply.

The Shades were already regrouping. The flow of Shades into the room had been slowed by the ones thrown back into the doorway.

“Priest! I’ll be back for you! If you can hear me, I will be back!”

Solar Flare hovered off the ground and then rocketed up and out of the open observatory dome. He flew straight up and glanced back.

The entire city was dark. Only the light of the Observatory could be seen. As he looked down that final light went dark.

Solar Flare turned forward. Looking up he couldn’t see a single star in the night sky. He accelerated his accent.

The dome was a semi-solid mass. As he passed through it was as if the darkness tried to snare him. An oppressive cold enveloped him. Solar Flare’s focus began to blur but he poured willpower into forming a shield around him. It was a weak field but pushed enough of the darkness to let him focus. With an effort of will Solar Flare accelerated even more.

Breaking through the dome of darkness the night sky came into view. The full moon was practically blinding. Solar Flare looked down at the dome. He couldn’t see it but he knew it was expanding. Somewhere down there Priest needed help.

Solar Flare turned West and flew away. He had a secondary lab and needed to continue his work.

But he swore he would return. To save city. To save Priest.

]]>http://www.evolvingrpg.com/windows-of-the-soul-part-2/feed/0The hipsters playing Dungeons & Dragons, old-school board game that’s gone from nerdy to cool againhttp://www.evolvingrpg.com/the-hipsters-playing-dungeons-dragons-old-school-board-game-thats-gone-from-nerdy-to-cool-again/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/the-hipsters-playing-dungeons-dragons-old-school-board-game-thats-gone-from-nerdy-to-cool-again/#respondMon, 12 Feb 2018 17:14:02 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1730The fantasy role-playing game, launched in 1974, is having a renaissance, with growing numbers of people getting out their graph paper and pencils to play it in bars and coffee shops, and document contests on YouTube and in podcasts

To all appearances, Emma Aprea is a tattooed and pierced 24-year-old, a bartender and freelance photographer who lives in the US city of Philadelphia.

Fortunately, the barbarian only comes out in certain contexts – namely, in one of the three different fantasy table-top role-playing games she participates in each month. Two of those are Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), a collaborative storytelling game first published in 1974, decades before Aprea was born.

“The stigma of D&D is that you’re a hard core closet nerd; you don’t even see the sunlight,” says Aprea. “But not all nerds are that way. As people evolve, this is getting to be less stigmatised because it’s fun to come out and drink and be social, but also get to play a game. There’s a level of community to it.”

That evolution is already well underway: Dungeons & Dragons has, against long odds, recently become something vaguely resembling cool. Regular games are popping up in bars and coffee shops, and in people’s homes. They’re being documented in podcasts and recorded on YouTube or Twitch, in some cases drawing thousands of viewers.

The trend, which has also percolated around the country, has even fuelled kids’ camps and pop-up gaming cafes. Fans attribute the resurgence in part to improvements in the game itself. D&D – which offers a structure for characters from orcs to dragons to play out different scenarios guided by rolls of the dice – is on its fifth edition.

“It’s not nearly as complicated as it used to be. You don’t need a PhD in Dungeons & Dragons,” says Brian Bolles, 33, a bar manager and avid player. “The last version of the game was kind of confused in its complexity.”

It’s come a long way since the 1980s, when a moral panic surrounding D&D was triggered in part by the suicide of a teenager who had been an avid player. Today, it’s seen as a relatively wholesome pastime, and even a way to draw out autistic children in social settings.

“I started playing around the end of the satanic panic, so it was the devil’s game and all that,” says Zach Ares-Deterding, now 37. “Then, in high school, we played as part of the drama club. When I got to college, that was the first time I encountered the stereotype of the sweaty, greasy dude with the neck beard and Motorhead T-shirt. I was like: wait, am I a nerd? But now, it’s getting more socially acceptable.”

He cites the infiltration of D&D into the media, such as in the Netflix series Stranger Things and seeing D&D ads in men’s magazines, such as GQ and Maxim. Now Ares-Deterding, the father of a toddler, plays a monthly game at a bar and hosts another one, biweekly, at his house.

“The game we run at my house is more like a day care,” he says. “We have three people that come over with toddlers and take turns watching babies.”

Some of those players are brand new to the game. For many, it’s an inviting alternative to the lonelier pastime of video gaming.

Will Calligan, 28, says that is what drew him. “I’ve played video games my whole life, but I only got into table-top role-playing games around college. I enjoy the aspect of community. It’s like a collaborative brainstorming session.”

He even developed a live-play podcast The Plane Shift, inspired by the success of other shows based on D&D campaigns. One, called Adventure Zone, is produced by Maximum Fun, which makes Bullseye, heard on national public radio stations, and the popular comedy podcast Judge John Hodgman.

I’ve played video games my whole life, but I only got into tabletop [role-playing games] around college

Helping drive the trend in Philadelphia are events like Drinks & Dragons, a game night that runs monthly at two South Philadelphia bars: the Black Cat Tavern on 12th and American Sardine Bar.

Don Caraco, 43, who started the series in 2016, says he first pitched it five years ago. “It was shot down. The restaurant manager at the time was like, ‘D&D? That is for geeks.’” Now, the game draws about 20 or 30 players on a given night.

Standing in front of a large piece of graph paper scattered with figurines and different shaped dice, Caraco says it’s more popular than even he realised. “It seems like weekly I run into somebody new who’s like, ‘I do this all the time’.”

Players relish the chance to be dramatic, creative and silly. Overheard at Drinks & Dragons on a recent night was: “I am the beer pong champion of my village!” and, “OK, I’m going to turn into a giant lizard.” (This, spoken by a character who’d previously been just a moderately sized lizard.) Another is “He hits you, for five points of bludgeon damage.”

There were zombie attacks to fend off, a mysterious tomb to explore, an unexplained illness to diagnose, bloody snow angels to make in the corpse of a deceased mulch monster.

Jeff Waterman, 32, played in high school and returned to the game over the past year.

“The idealistic part of me says, as we get more attached to screens, we want to do things that are imaginative and where we talk to humans,” says Waterman. “Everything is so hi-tech and online now, people see this very old game, and they think it’s something new.”

]]>http://www.evolvingrpg.com/the-hipsters-playing-dungeons-dragons-old-school-board-game-thats-gone-from-nerdy-to-cool-again/feed/0How did they do that? Game of Thrones & Pathfinderhttp://www.evolvingrpg.com/how-did-the-do-that-1/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/how-did-the-do-that-1/#respondFri, 09 Feb 2018 17:05:51 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1824In this video podcast we explore how a scene from the popular TV show Game of Thrones translates into the Pathfinder RPG game. Rey our resident GM Guru breaks the scene down in pathfinder terms and shares his thoughts on the action.

If you like the video or just want to discuss it, please post in the comment section below or post in YouTube

]]>http://www.evolvingrpg.com/how-did-the-do-that-1/feed/0Know Thy Players (December 2017)http://www.evolvingrpg.com/know-thy-players-december-2017/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/know-thy-players-december-2017/#respondThu, 08 Feb 2018 17:03:41 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1768Hello everyone Welcome to my second musing of my wonderful pathfinder game. In my last posting I went over how I was nervous for my first session and how I only had two players show up. The second session was another matter all together

For the second game instead of two players I had seven players. I must confess I was nervous again due to the large group. I was also happy when everyone showed up on time ready and eager to play. I was so touched again that the game started promptly, that I gave everyone bonus experience.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty I should mention that I am currently running a home brew campaign of my own creation. The group meets on Roll20.net, and we use Team-speak to communicate with one another. My expectation was the game would last approximately three to four hours.

I would say it took about an hour to get the party together. I had to deal with seven people and how to get them all working together on the quest. It was a bit challenging for a couple of them but we made it through it

They decided to take a quest by the town priest to retrieve a dwarven artifact from the dwarven kingdom. They party left the next morning and began their trek to the kingdom. I may have seemed nit-picky to my players but every night on the trip I check with them for the watch order. I did not want to rush anything and wanted to let the characters really flesh out how they handle watch.

Of course no DM worth their salt would not have an encounter ready to go So I pitted the players against Krampus and his undead reindeers.

I have to give my lovely wife a shout out for coming up with this idea It was a nice Holiday theme encounter. I was slightly concern with how the party would handle the encounter. Would it be too tough? or to easy? I have to say it did offer them a good challenge but I could have made slightly harder The players emerged victorious with minor wounds.

So the players finally make it to the dwarven kingdom to retrieve the artifact and proceed to get upset with the dwarves because they brought no equipment with them for the transportation of the artifact. The artifact is the size of a shield with ornate markings and dwarven hammers. My players asked the dwarves for a container that could transport the artifact. The dwarves gave them a heavy steel box.

So then they wanted a wagon and mule to transport the artifact back to the town. The dwarves would give a mule but not a wagon. The dwarves response was they had no wagons to spare. The players seemed upset with this and begin arguing with the dwarves. The dwarves fired back asking why would they come to get the artifact and not bring the required equipment for transportation. The players shot back stating they were not told they needed equipment (DM note they did not ask). Finally the priest of the party took the shield and said he would carry it and began the trek back home.

On the way back home I continued to be nit-picky and asked what they were doing for watch. On the third night they were ambushed and easily defeated the attacking kobolds.

A few things about the combat:

It took forever, seven players plus the npcs

People were caught in a trap of making assumptions about what they were doing when I specifically asked

Players can be a bit harsh towards kobolds

One of the shaman manage to escape. Two archers were frozen in place, one of those two were taken hostage while the other was mauled by a player’s dog. The players were trying to figure out what to do with the hostage. One player wanted to torture it to find out why it attacked. While other players wanted the information but did not want to torture. The kobold said in broken common trial, safe, and captain.

So the players took the kobold back to town and called on the captain of the guard. The kobold then starts to speak in his native tongue at a blazing rate as they captain eyes it and the party. One party member takes this as a threat and attacks the captain by tripping him. The captain gets up and tells the player do not do that again and that he would let it slide because maybe they had a tough time.

The captain explains that the kobold wanted sanctuary and a fair trial. It was afraid the players were going to kill him. He knew the captain was fair and he would get a fair trial. The captain order the kobold and the player that tripped him to jail.

We ended there after about six hours of straight play time

I was told by multiple players that they really enjoyed the game and are awaiting the next session. I forgot how much fun it is to be the DM and weave stories into the game for the players to handle. I am having a blast and I am sure my players are having fun as well. I am still working on the next session notes but I am in a good place as of this writing.

My biggest take away from this session is the players gave me so much material to use in my next session I LOVE IT!

]]>http://www.evolvingrpg.com/know-thy-players-december-2017/feed/0Cyclopshttp://www.evolvingrpg.com/cyclops/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/cyclops/#commentsWed, 07 Feb 2018 17:06:12 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1751This is the month where love is in the air, as your heart is getting a workout, lets work out your brain as well!

A Cyclops stares from pale white face.

Earrings seven his visage grace.

Atop his head are five tattoos.

Ebon black his pair of shoes.

On his pale back six scars dug deep.

He felt no pain and did not weep.

His job to tumble, bounce and fall;

But he’s no fool. No not at all!

If you think you know the answer post your guess in the comment section below, and I will confirm when the correct answer is posted.

The spacial anomaly remains stable at this time. Being that you are the new commander of the security for and research on the event I will bring you up to date on several critical points not covered on the primary summary.

First, the temporal distortion that allowed for travel back in time 10 years is closed but a residual anomaly still exists. Time travel is not possible but a tear in space time does remain at the location which is now under military control. In addition to NASA, JPL, and DARPA scientists we did receive information from Metahuman Designated #1736 (named “Solar Flare”). He provided recommendations on how to close the temporal portal. Later, #1736 did approach the perimeter and make contact with our ground troops. I told him the portal was closed and security was simply to prevent civilian exposure to lingering radiation. Please note, there is in fact no radiation threat.

Second, the anomaly regularly emits energy pulses. These pulses are of an unknown origin and do not pose a danger at this time. Work continues on what causes these pulses and what, if any, military value they might have. It may be possible to harness the
pulses as a new energy source or weapon.

Third, no Metahuman or Parahuman, particularly Parahuman Designated #9321 (named “Priest”), are involved in the security of the anomaly or our ongoing research. This event and resulting anomaly are classified Top Secret. The cover story in place is that a terrorist threat was identified and dealt with before harm could be done to the civilian population.

I look forward to your upcoming site visit General.

Best regards,

Col. Taft Jones
*************************************

Taft finished the message to his new commanding officer. It was late and he was looking forward to heading home. He stayed around to supervise another round of tests on the anomaly. There was hope to focus one of the energy pulses but the pulses didn’t happen at regular intervals. When the last pulse did occur they were unsuccessful in directing the energy.

Taft looked out of the window of the observation room. The anomaly was housed in a previously abandoned warehouse. The location was selected by the telekinetic villain Tek-Lo because it was relatively remote but still close to the city.

Two years ago Tek-Lo has opened a time portal going ten years into the past. He had intended to change the past. Apparently to eliminate the superhero Titan. Fortunately several superheroes intervened and no harm was done, Tek-Lo was defeated and the portal secured.

After that the military took over. They were able to close the time portal but something remained. It was like a tear in space itself. A jagged, shimmering gouge hung in space. It wasn’t getting power from any source they could detect but it remained.

Cameras were sent into the anomaly but only inky darkness could be seen. Nothing on the spectrum would register. Light, infrared, x-Ray, it didn’t matter. Nothing could be seen.

The nature of the anomaly couldn’t be determined so a perimeter was set around it. Nothing approached except for strictly controlled experiment teams.

Taft packed his briefcase and prepared to leave but his attention was drawn to the floor below.

Down below two soldiers stood staring at the shimmering rift. No one should have been down there especially without protective gear. No dangerous radiation had been detected but it was standard procedure.

“Damn gawkers.” Taft muttered under his breath. “Must be new recruits.”

Taft clicked on the speaker and called out. “You two down there! Get your butts out of my quarantine zone!”

In order to keep a low profile only a handful of security personnel were assigned to the location and most worked the perimeter. The two soldiers were supposed to be guarding the door to the room containing the rift.

The two men didn’t move, they didn’t even look away from the rift. Instead of calling additional security Taft decided to handle this himself.

He put on a light hazmat suit, procedure was procedure after all, and headed down.

He keyed in his access code to the main room of the warehouse and opened the door. The two soldiers still stood there, just staring at the shimmering rift.

“You two, front and center! Now soldiers!” Taft yelled. The tone made the blood of many enlisted ranks and officers alike run cold but these two didn’t even flinch.

Taft stormed over to the two men and yelled. “Both of you will be up for court martial for ignoring a direct order!”

The soldiers eyes were completely black. The veins of the man’s face were black line starting from his eyes and radiating out over his entire face. The skin was a sickly pale cover.

“We have much work to do.” Both soldiers spoke in unison as the second soldier turned to face Taft. “These hosts can’t complete our work. Additional hosts are needed.”

Taft pulled his arm away but the nearest soldier grabbed it with inhuman speed and strength. Taft instinctively went for his sidearm but it was under the hazmat suit.

The other solider grabbed Taft with equal strength. Taft was not a weak man but he couldn’t move his arms. He kicked up and caught one soldier squarely in the jaw.

Even though bone shattered the soldier didn’t release his grip. Inky black fluid mixed with red blood from the wound.

Both soldiers pinned Taft’s arms behind his back and moved him towards the rift. He tried to push back but it did no good. They forcibly bent him forward closer to the rift.

Straining his back to resist Taft screamed as his face passed into the rift. Then darkness enveloped him.

The two soldiers stood holding what would have looked like a headless body to anyone watching for a minute. Taft’s legs kicked and then went still.

They pulled his body back and Taft’s head reappeared. They released him and he dropped to his knees.

He calmly stood and removed the hood of his hazmat suit. His eyes were completely black and dark lines began outlining the veins on his face.

He turned to the two soldiers and spoke. His voice echoed deeply. “Yes, we have much work to do. Prepare for the General’s arrival. We need additional hosts.”

The three turned at the same time and walked out of the room.

In their absence the rift shimmered.

]]>http://www.evolvingrpg.com/windows-of-the-soul-part-1/feed/011 Tabletop RPGs That Need To Make A Comebackhttp://www.evolvingrpg.com/11-tabletop-rpgs-that-need-to-make-a-comeback/
http://www.evolvingrpg.com/11-tabletop-rpgs-that-need-to-make-a-comeback/#respondMon, 05 Feb 2018 17:11:13 +0000http://www.evolvingrpg.com/?p=1715One of the few truly great trends in 2017 was the return of tabletop role-playing. Dungeons & Dragons got a boost from Stranger Things, but TSR’s fantasy franchise isn’t the only game in town. Back in the glory days, there were dozens of other competing pen and paper RPGs for the true geek’s attention. If you didn’t want to swing a sword and cast a spell, you could travel to the far future, or the Old West, or dozens of other places and times.

Many of these role-playing games have faded into the mists of history. But with the medium undergoing a renaissance, the time is right to bring them back. Here are eleven of our picks for old-school tabletop RPGs that could get an update for the 21st century and be sweet to play.

Marvel Super Heroes

This is definitely a sentimental pick, because the Marvel Super Heroes role-playing game was the first one I ever played, my gateway drug into the wider world of serious nerd pursuits. Released by TSR in 1984, it was one of the mechanically simplest games of its era, with everything you needed to play out a superhero slugfest in the 16-page “Battle Book.” The system exclusively used two d10s for percentile rolls, making it easy to understand and expand on, and the character creation was robust enough to let you make up your own heroes and villains all day. With the booming success of Marvel’s movies, it’d be great for somebody to publish an updated version.

Star Wars: The Role-Playing Game

What better introduction to the fascinating world of pen and paper role-play than the Star Wars universe, currently enjoying its biggest resurgence in popularity ever? 1987’s Star Wars: The Role-Playing Game, released by West End, was not only fun to play but also helped define the limits of the franchise’s Extended Universe, with lots of planets and alien races appearing here for the first time. Over 140 supplements and adventures were published for the game, but West End went bankrupt in 1998 and the system was lost to the ages.

Aftermath!

The 1980s were the peak of atomic hysteria, when we believed that the Russkies could press the button at any minute and send us into a hell of nuclear fire. Several post-apocalyptic tabletop RPGs came out during the decade, but one fondly-remembered is Aftermath, which cast gamers as survivors of a nuclear apocalypse scrounging for food and supplies in a radioactive wasteland. Like many FGN titles, it boasted a complex ruleset that did away with “levels” in favor of a more robust skills-based system, and updates were released for it until 2010.

Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game

As the 90s wore on, electronic entertainment started to supplant pen and paper RPGs. No value judgment there, it’s just what happened. So designers turned to this new world to inspire their creations, with results like Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game. Produced by White Wolf, this 1994 title gave you everything you needed to roll your own World Warrior and battle against other brawlers using a variety of martial arts styles. There’s a remarkably robust fan community for this game, and with Capcom working to drum up interest in SFV it could be time for a comeback.

Powers & Perils

Avalon Hill was the name in wargaming in the early 1980s, and when Gary Gygax approached them about publishing Dungeons & Dragons they turned him down flat. That was a mistake, so when profits from tabletop role-playing beckoned they responded with one of the most complex and detailed fantasy systems of the decade. 1984’s Powers & Perils was beloved by hardcore grognards for its wild complexity – the game featured multiple different skill systems with individual resolution rules, tables for all kinds of events and five separate rulebooks. It was a commercial failure, but we’d love some enterprising soul to make another run at it.

Castle Falkenstein

There’s no rule that says dice are required for tabletop role-playing. Castle Falkenstein, released by R.Talsorian Games in 1994, dispensed with all the rolling in favor of using a standard deck of playing cards to resolve randomness. The title’s unique pseudo-steampunk world takes you to a Victorian era where anachronistic technology mingles with elves and faeries. The card mechanism is interestingly complex, with different suits used to accomplish different actions, and it was a breath of fresh air in the grim White Wolf-dominated RPG world of the early 90s.

Over The Edge

Subtitled “The Role Playing Game Of Surreal Danger,” Over The Edge was both thematically and mechanically interesting. Taking place on an imaginary island called Al Amarja, players become embroiled in interlocking conspiracies and try to survive on the mean streets. This was a perfect venue for an enterprising and imaginative DM to really go crazy, and although the company that produced it, Atlas Games, is still in business they don’t seem to be doing much with the franchise past a 20th Anniversary edition a few years back.

Bunnies & Burrows

Role-playing games take inspiration from all manner of sources, and one of the most unusual early examples was 1976’s Bunnies & Burrows. Cribbing the setting of Richard Adams’s novel Watership Down, players roll up intelligent rabbits who must contend with both natural perils and the incursion of mankind into their wild warrens. It was the first tabletop RPG to let players act as non-humanoid creatures, and it maintains a cult following to this day despite the often bizarre and ridiculous art of the original rulebook.

Bushido

Originally published in 1979, Bushido predated America’s fascination with Japanese culture by at least a decade. The game let players take on a variety of roles in a fictionalized Nippon, from Yakuza gangsters to shadowy ninja and Taoist magic users. One thing that made it interesting was its extremely hierarchical structure, where loyalty and honor were just as important as successful dice rolls. It got great reviews in its day but was also criticized for excessive complexity, a common issue with early tabletop RPGs.

Attack Of The Mutants

If you read Marvel comics in the 1980s, you probably remember the lurid full-page ads for Attack Of The Mutants, a board game with role-playing elements created by Yaquinto Publications. For just two bucks, you could get their catalog and a cheapie version of the game, which saw players team up against radioactive college students storming their building. It was fairly complex and fun for such a low price, and just looking at the advertising art makes us nostalgic.

Paranoia

Science fiction had been fertile territory for role-playing for some time before Paranoiawas released in 1984. But the game, designed by Greg Costikyan, Dan Gelber, and Eric Goldberg, took a darkly different view of the future. Set in a dystopian society ruled with a chrome fist by an artificial intelligence. Players act both as “troubleshooters” for the Computer, hunting down resistance elements and terminating them, as well as members of the resistance. Needless to say, death comes early and often, which is why every character has six clones to replace them. Crammed with morbid humor and style, Paranoia just got a Kickstarter-funded reboot. Pick up a copy and tell us how it feels now that we’re actually in the future.